Brewers Director of New Media Caitlin Moyer gives Brewers fans an inside look at the Milwaukee Brewers and what's going on at One Brewers Way.

Training on the Road: 10 Weeks To Go Until the Brewers Mini-Marathon!

With 1o weeks to go until the Brewers Mini and just one until the Brewers Famous Racing Sausages 5K Run/Walk, we’re in full-on training mode and you should be, too!

But what if, say, you work crazy hours or travel a lot for business? Or, since it’s that time of the year, you’re headed on vacation?

You don’t have to let those things become excuses or prevent you from staying on track. Read on to for some of our personal tips, then share your own in the comments field below!

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JOHN

Working in baseball, your hours can be crazy and unconventional. Night games followed by day games. Long homestands. Travel. Ask anyone, and they will tell you that it is not a normal 9-to-5 job. That makes working in a workout a little more challenging and makes the discipline needed to train a little greater.

I don’t travel on every Brewers road trip, but when I do travel, I always plan ahead knowing that I enjoy to maintain a routine of working out. Sometimes it means losing an hour of sleep and waking up a little earlier, but it is nice to continue your normal workout plan.

I look ahead to see where we are staying and check out the workout facilities. Having done this for awhile, I now know which cities have the “good” fitness centers and which cities have “bad” fitness centers. Doing a little advance research in hotel fitness centers is important. If you know ahead of time what to expect, it makes your workout on the road a little easier.

Some cities are also better suited for running outdoors than others Chicago, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Washington D.C., Denver and Phoenix (depending on the time of year you are there) are great cities for running outside. Many hotels even provide maps with safe routes for running outdoors in case you are in an unfamiliar city. Running outside on the road is also a good way to become familiar with an unfamiliar city.

Another thing that people might find as an obstacle to working out on the road is packing extra gear. With airline baggage fees skyrocketing, every pound you save when packing your suitcase helps. There are things you can do when traveling to use as little space possible in your suitcase. Rolling your t-shirts always saves space and I usually travel with older shirts that I don’t mind throwing away when done, thus saving space (and laundry!) on the way home. There are also packing solutions that allow everything to keep fresh and clean.

I know when traveling my normal routine is something I won’t be able to achieve, but with a little planning ahead and some dedication, one can still maintain their workout routine so travel doesn’t interrupt training.

CAIT

I don’t work quite as crazy hours as John, nor do I travel nearly as much for in my role, but I can tell you that my schedule is jam-packed, especially in the summer. It’s also a time when trips pop up. Your friends ask you to spend a weekend at their cabin up north, or maybe traveling to attend a wedding or other family gathering.

Most recently, my friends Emily and George got married in Brooklyn and I found myself in New York for a few days. As I was packing for my trip, I included some workout clothes, hoping I would be able to hit the gym at my hotel. However, I knew my days would be packed with wedding activities intermingled with sight-seeing–and the last thing I really wanted to do was “waste” any of my precious vacation time in the hotel gym. So, while I didn’t stick to my exact running schedule while I was gone, I still kept active by turning my sightseeing adventures into mini workouts.

Walking can be just as good of a workout as running, so instead of taking the subway each time I wanted to go some place, I plotted out how I could walk between places I needed or wanted to go, and it turned out to be quite easy to work in exercise.

Bonus! I also saw more sights by being on foot and saved a little cash by needing fewer cab and subway fares.

Instead of just admiring the Brooklyn Bridge from afar, why not walk across it? The bridge is just over a mile long, so crossing it to Manhattan and back (plus the distance to and from your hotel) is a great workout. Here’s Cait doing tree pose on the bridge (more about yoga to come soon!)

The moral of the story? While routine can be nice, you don’t always have to adhere to a strict regimen while training–in fact, sometimes it is good to give your body a break–but it is always a good idea to keep active. On your next trip, consider ditching the gym and immersing yourself in your surroundings with a run or walk!

TRENNI

Heading out of town, whether it is for business or pleasure, can wreak havoc on your training plans. Who wants to go to bed early on the first night out of town so they can run 15 miles the next morning? How many of us can politely duck out of a 7am breakfast meeting to hit the track for a speed work out? I think the resounding answer is almost none of us!

With that said, time spent in planes, trains and automobiles does not mean your workouts (or eating habits) have to suffer, they just need to be adjusted, not abandoned.

I’m actually heading out of town Saturday morning with my family, but Saturday is my scheduled long run of 15 miles. (Did I mention I signed up for a 50K race the week before the half??) I also have a follow-up run of 7-8 miles on Sunday.

Let me be totally up front here, my will is not strong enough to turn down a crazy night with my huge, fun-loving family! However, I’m committed to being ready for all of my races this summer and fall, so I don’t want my workouts to be neglected.

Easy fix. I just moved everything up one day. Friday morning (today) I rose earlier than normal and was out the door by 6:30am to sneak in 15 miles before my work day. Saturday morning (tomorrow) I will once again rise a little earlier than normal and knock out my 7 mile run. The result? A weekend free of being tied down by a training schedule.

If you have a family vacation or work trip coming up, simply plan ahead. Take a look at your training schedule and see how you can shift your runs around. And keep this in mind, if you need to skip a run, make sure it is a short, easy distance not your long run of the week. Missing a five-mile jaunt in the middle of the week won’t ruin your training regiment, foregoing your first ever ten-mile run will cause you problems in the long run.

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Stay tuned for our next Brewers Mini post! To join us, register for the race at brewersmini.com! Can’t race, but still want to support the MACC Fund? Make a donation to our team here!

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